here in our nest

showering breanne

2012-02-05T21:53:00.000-07:00

hey you guys! did you think you would see a post in february? tax season has the best of me, but i escaped this weekend and had some fun. and despite the lack of posts around here, rest assure that i scour all of your blogs/pinterest/instagrams when i've had enough numbers. 6 weeks left and i will be a free woman again.

this weekend my mom / haley / i showered my cousin breanne who is expecting a baby boy in march. it was so fun putting together the perfect ladies' lunch gathering. my mom continues to be the world's best cook and made two yummy salad bars--an oriental salad with grilled chicken and a raspberry & nut salad with sweet honey dressing. both equally amazing! throw grandma's orange rolls in there and top it off with the most beautiful chocolate cake and key-lime graham cracker shooters. i could not stop eating.

our christmas in boise

2011-12-30T21:44:00.001-07:00

i had no idea how fun my niece and nephew could make christmas! as you can tell from the pictures, it was all about them. where they were, we all were. in between playing with the kids, we danced a lot to the wii's just dance 3, talked to travis who's serving a mission in mexico, the boys played basketball at the church while the girls went shopping, we played words with friends on our phones nonstsop, and we ate ate ate! i hope your christmas was just as wonderful and warm.

baby karson

2011-12-29T16:13:00.000-07:00

santa gave me adobe lightroom for christmas. i love that it saves the original file and all of the edits to get to the final picture. it's also super fast and allows you to edit a bunch of pictures together if you want to.

meet my nephew, sweet baby karson:

on christmas eve

2011-12-27T09:19:00.005-07:00

the sleepy-time elves found us and left matching pj's. it's a lish family tradition that i love & so does little alexa! she is the cutest ever and we're having too much fun with this christmas thing.

lishing you a merry christmas

2011-12-24T18:00:00.018-07:00

i hope you each feel the peace of our Savior in celebrating the significance of His role in our lives. there is no better time to show our gratitude and love for His sacrifice than this wonderful time of year.

wishing you & yours a very merry Christmas!

opening presents

2011-12-24T08:03:00.001-07:00

i'm getting a little sentimental knowing that the holidays are so close to being over. i keep looking for the button that says "stop now." maybe i should just opt to leave my tree up year round. ha, take that christmas! i finished my last diy project yesterday while listening to christmas music from neil diamond, the biebs, jackie evancho, and she&him. all wonderful! i have another 48 hours of listening ahead of me.

we celebrated christmas with my family this week. they are such lovlies to let us open our gifts even though they're waiting patiently until 12/25 to open ours.

of course mom made another heavenly meal complete with her christmas china and linens. you would never know that i miss eating her food 3x's a day, right? imagine my excitement when

i opened beautiful white porcelain dishes from my ma & pa!!! i am over the moon thrilled to have them. they feel so classic and timeless.

------------------------------------------>>>

i'm going to photo some of the diy gifts i gave this year and post about them. there's something exciting in giving a gift you made with your own two hands, each so unique and personalized. til then, merry christmas eve!

a break

2011-12-18T22:30:00.000-07:00

i spoke in sacrament meeting today, which means my stomach has been turning for a few days straight and i've spent entirely too much time being distracted on pinterest while trying to write something. eek! maybe it gets easier with practice and experience, but i'm just not there. jared is a champ and listens to me repeat the same five paragraphs while nodding his head in approval. i think me speaking is in his favor since he's had lots of football/tv time this weekend. he's smart though and knows i freak out if i don't eat and that i tend to skip eating when i'm stressed, enter breakfast made by jared and snacks pushed my way. he really is the best.

we each have the next two weeks off, pending any insane phone calls/emails that i really hope don't happen. i'm looking forward to spending the daylight hours together, visiting family in boise, skiing in the white fluff (fingers crossed it comes our way), and celebrating christmas. i absolutely love this wonderful season!

a relaxed us post sacrament meeting talk:

'tis the season for baking lots of yummy treats

2011-12-16T12:18:00.000-07:00

my mom and aunt gina make these cream balls dipped in chocolate and dusted with pecans. ohmyamazingness! they make other holiday goodies, but the dreams are what my eyes start trolling for when i see homemade candies laying around. we worked together for the common good of holy treats a few weeks back and made a batch. mom & gina insisted on celine dion's christmas album from the 90's (literally, i just checked the release date).

such cute people i have in my family! bre is pregnant with a boy due in march, matea is nearly a college grad and little josie isn't so little anymore. after making homemade candies with the fam, jared and i decided to try our luck on a few gifts for friends. enter, homemade caramels for the very first time!

my friend rebecca who is the queen of amazing gift wrap sent me to garnish for berry boxes. then i googled around for printable tags, threw a ribbon on there and we were good to go. the caramels miraculously stayed soft and are quite addicting.

here's to healthier eating in 2012!

timberlakes

2011-12-12T19:46:00.004-07:00

friday night we left salt lake for the mountains, snow and a grand old time.
together we were 8 adults & 5 kids strong stuffed into the 2 cars that could make it. yikes!
turns out my friend from study abroad jessica knows my neighbors.
they have the cutest families and are a lot of fun to get together with.
we made yummy food, sledded, tasted the snow, talked talked talked,
and took in the pretty surroundings.
can it be christmas break already?

family room

2011-12-08T22:28:00.005-07:00

we moved into our townhouse in fall of 2009 from a two-bedroom 650-square-foot apartment. we had a few furniture pieces but many of them were dwarfed by the bigger rooms in our new place. my original tactic for decorating was "tackle the whole house now" since i wanted every room pieced together perfectly right away! you know that feeling. so i shopped at my favorite stores and looked for good deals, only to get home and not actually have a place for things.
i couldn't seem to make the magic happen.

so... enter kirsten this spring. i was hesitant to hire someone because i didn't want to spend money on ideas and a decorator, and then not be able to buy the furniture and accessories. one of the great things about kirsten is that she let me have as much control as i wanted. the more i handled, the less she charged.

she helped a lot at the beginning. she sent 50 fabric images to me and had me rank them, we talked about overall style, decided on the room layout, and how to add curtains--all the big things. once a few of the fabrics were selected and we had layouts for the rooms, i went to work and found multiples of furniture pieces for the room. i would throw a bunch of links in an email, like five coffee tables i liked for instance, and she helped me narrow it down and explained why one or two were better than the others.

------------------ BEFORE ------------------

------------------ IDEA BOARD ------------------

------------------ AFTER ------------------

photography by jessica kettle

one of my favorite things about the room is how it lights up at night. the lamps warm the room and make it feel so cozy!

i absolutely love what kirsten helped me create and i would use her again in a second! the biggest headache? the picture wall. number of returned items? one, a solid blue rug that was too green. total months to complete? 6. best bargain? the wall clock. biggest splurge? the coffee table.

here is a source list if you're interested:

rugs | williams-sonoma home
ikat chairs | csn stores
couch | ashley furniture
coffee table | crate & barrel
table lamps | homegoods
side tables | kohl's
mirror table | west elm
frames & books | thrifted
tv stand | target
floor lamp | amazon, robert abbey
gold poufs | ebay
wallpaper | walls, veneto: printers guild production
clock | ebay
curtains | wilmington

hiking with dad

2011-12-03T10:23:00.002-07:00

my dad has been hiking a couple days a week for the last while, and i
joined him on a hike from my parents house last week.
we sang our favorite rock'n'roll songs as we braved the piercing wind
until ellie (the dog) decided she was done with the hike and turned around.
haha, i guess the dog wears the pants in the fam?!?

❤ you dad.

more hiking with dad here.

i've been wondering if it would ever happen

2011-11-30T10:13:00.003-07:00

photography by jessica kettle

and i think we're getting closer!
i worked with kirsten krason last spring to update my family room.
she taught me so much about design throughout the process,
and i love the pattern and texture in the room.

i'll be sure to give you sources and more deets when we have all the photos.
hopefully for reals this time in the next week or two.

cabo wabo

2011-11-26T21:42:00.001-07:00

we celebrated thanksgiving in cabo with zach & haley. it all started a few months
ago when jared and i found a 2 bedroom beach house on the cheap that looked amazing!
zach & haley were up for a mexican adventure so we did it together.

street tacos
surfing
fishing with jimmy
driving in mexico
a costco pizza thanksgiving dinner
piña coladas
todos santos
bartering
chips + salsa
morning runs on the beach
the freshest mahi mahi
whale watching
& star gazing.

san diego, the end

2011-11-25T21:51:00.004-07:00

we spent lots of time driving and checking out the city,
from food and shopping to nearby beach towns, our agenda was exploring fun places.
it's not obvious at all that we loved seeing the 70's on the thermometer. hello sunglasses!

we were iffy on sea world since it seems spendy for a couple sans kids,

but we decided we like shamu as much as the kid next to us so we went. and i'm so glad we did!
the sea lions stole the show for me--we fed them fish and they barked back in the cutest way.
they each had their own names and would respond to the employees calling them.

the tour of the uss midway was totally a thank you jared for being so patient while i
window gazed at lots of fancy boutique stores
and perused j.crew and nordstrom even though we have both at home.
he is the definition of patient.
we used headsets and walked around as a self-guided tour of sorts.
i'm so grateful there are people who serve in the military and keep me safe at home.
i can't imagine living on that ship! the accommodations are a little different from a cruise ship.
jared loved the tour. it fits in the same category as the historical war books he reads so often.

san diego, i hope to see you again.

the mr.'s business trip

2011-11-09T15:00:00.001-07:00

if i don't move to newport anytime soon, i discovered
another great city that i would love to call home.

photo from here.

the mr. had some work to do in san diego so i tagged along for fun and in hopes that we could spend a few days together at the end of the week. all went according to plan, and we turned the business trip into a mini vacay.

the first few days, i passed my time at the hotel's pool.

i didn't do a thing with myself until i got ready to go out to eat with jared at 6 or 7.
house wife for a week? check.

we tried all kinds of food--italian, seafood, mexican, and a steakhouse.
surprisingly, the steakhouse won it all! i ordered filet medallions
with blue cheese in a red wine sauce.
oh my amazing! and that's from me who isn't a huge meat eater.
seriously, i wanted to go back the next day.

on one of our date nights, we ate dinner a few blocks from the san diego temple. it made for the perfect after dinner drive/chat.

more san diego to come...
and i'm really not moving anywhere anytime soon.

newport beach

2011-11-09T13:55:00.000-07:00

after our feet starting hurting from racing through disneyland, we left the park and headed for the beach sunday night. i think we all considered moving, at least for a split second... the water, the boats, perfect weather... sold!

new fall faves, cooking edition

2011-11-04T09:42:00.001-06:00

one thing i love to do when i'm home and have extra time is to cook a nice meal. a friend introduced me this website, which has so many yummy recipes and helpful cooking tips. a few weeks ago, i made the creamy chicken & wild rice soup with homemade bread bowls. 100% delicious and amazing. i highly recommend.

i've also made the pumpkin chocolate chip bread a few times. it tastes exactly like fall and jared and i seem to get around a full loaf of it in no time. as the recipe says, it definitely tastes better on day two. another fantastic recipe, and it's surprisingly really easy to make.

disney

2011-11-03T20:50:00.000-06:00

busy season ended 9/15, and apparently my blog did too! well i'm back, at least for a few posts and hopefully for good.

over the last month i've been on the road loads (english slang from watching too many adele videos). right now i sit in san diego where it's 70 degrees outside and i can see the ocean from my hotel room. not bad. the mr. is hard at work here during the day, but we're spending nights together which i'll take. it beats traveling solo and being in colder places. if all goes well, we'll have a few days to vacation together at the end of the week.

we just finished up a weekend at disneyland with my fam. nothing short of a grand old time.

mom loves disneyland a lot a lot//the decor throughout the parks is so fun this time of year!//adventureland's indiana jones was our first stop//turkey legs remain the most disgusting menu item at the park, although jared & zach beg to differ

the matterhorn, whawhaaa?//c.bugs about to dominate toy story//the troop//world of color from the front row

tower of terror, one of my top 3 fave rides//coaster craziness//the men with the biggest splash//the fall on splash

why hello, main street//the swings where we spotted a celebrity//world of color take 2//celeb photo shoot with manny from modern family

a successful trip to the happiest place on earth! it's debatable what i loved more... taking a few days off a work or being with the whole family longer than sunday dinner. till next time!

take me out to the ball game

2011-08-31T08:47:00.002-06:00

saturday night we watched our very first bees game.
the crowd sang a loud take me out the to ball game during the seventh inning stretch,
& i loved the cozy feeling singing in the ball park.

and guess what? sixteen more days of busy season! that's it.
ithinkicanithinkican.

twenty-eight

2011-08-29T10:00:00.000-06:00

the night of jared's birthday, he opened presents at the house and we kept it low key.
i proposed crepes with some friends, and he voted me down. he loves friends but does not
like to be the center of attention. not one bit.
what he does love are the ray-bans he requested.

daaang they look good.

in true sunday fashion, we dined at mom's on yet again another amazing spread.
would you believe a table setting so lovely with such delicious food is the norm?
jared requested a ham ring + au gratin potatoes.

we finished with a chipman, off-key song of happy birthday and
jared's favorite german chocolate cake.

buon appetito

2011-08-28T12:54:00.000-06:00

mom & i took an italian cooking class at thanksgiving point.
i'm sure it was more useful for one of us than the other. i'll let you guess who's who.
the chef, who cooks at cucina toscana---mmm, exuded all things italian culture.
i was in my own heaven watching him talk with his hands as he
told stories in his strong accent.
he walked us through tiramisu, pork tenderloin and
my favorite of the day lasagna bianca.

a sushi date

2011-08-27T12:00:00.000-06:00

jared's birthday dinner...
brought to you by groupon and at 9 pm, which is how we roll these days.

this guy

2011-08-09T17:05:00.001-06:00

it's his birthday today and i'm so excited to celebrate with him.

you know he opens otter pops for me every time i eat one,
and that he insists i cut his hair even though i'm no stylist.

he's more of the cuddler (one reason i love the photo above),
and he watches the bachelor with me.

he claims to wash more dishes than me, but there's room for debate on this one.

football makes fall his favorite time of year,
even though watching byu & bsu play makes him visibly nervous.

he's a bit of a shoe hoarder, loves a good taco
and dreams of the day he can buy solely from amazon.com.

this guy is pretty right on.

happy birthday j!

half-er

2011-07-30T22:20:00.002-06:00

i have some co-workers who are becoming runners, and the talk at the office turns to running pretty often these days. a group of us ran running with ed earlier this year in park city,
and we had a ton of fun cheering each other on.

i loved the race, and i loved feeling in shape for the first time in a while. so i kept the ball rolling and signed up for a half marathon without much thought. it was a bold move,
and i don't think i really understood my commitment until i drafted a training schedule and started some of those longer practice runs.

but lo and behold, d-day arrived today. or rather this morning at 3:30 am when i woke to a very dark house. i left at 3:45--this is am remember?--to catch a bus in american fork that dropped me off at the starting line eight miles up american fork canyon. the race clock started at 6 am, and i worked my way into steady jog down the cool canyon. from the canyon i ran through cedar hills and into american fork, passed the temple and finished at dad's alma mater af high.

my longest run before today was eight miles, and surprisingly i felt great through most of the race. at mile ten i had what felt like ten knives grinding into my stomach, aka side ache of death. i walked for about 30 seconds and ran the last three miles with a side ache off and on.

overall, great experience and i think i would do another half.
but seriously, i don't know how anybody gears up for a marathon. i felt exhausted and so pleased to see the finish line at half that length. those people are hard core.

boulder lake

2011-07-05T11:10:00.001-06:00

we followed tradition and celebrated the fourth of july in boise with the lishes.
we added a twist this year and spent three days
backpacking near mccall, a posh mountain area a few hours north of boise.

our original hike failed when we couldn't drive the truck through
the foot of snow on the roads to get to the trailhead.
so we wound up at boulder lake,
still with snow but quite a bit less than where we first planned to go.
somewhere there is a video of a sledding adventure. in july. whoa!

i spend way too much time indoors and sitting, and i loved all the exercise
i got this weekend and being in nature.
we couldn't have found a better setting for hanging with the fam.
hope your holiday weekend was stellar.

eoy

2011-07-01T08:53:00.000-06:00

four blog posts in a week! whaaaaa? can you handle this?

last week we went to our second ernst & young entrepreneur of the year event.
it's one of a few times during the year where
we dress in something more fancy than our usual sunday wear.
(aka fret for weeks straight about where to find a modest formal than doesn't scream PROM.)
this year's dress is made by suzi chin & ordered online two days before the event,
just to keep things interesting.

isn't my date handsome?

more on the night available here.

twenty-five

2011-06-30T13:50:00.000-06:00

saturday i turned the big 2 - 5, which is a quarter of a century.
holy! that is old. in the words of meredith grey,
"We're adults?! When did that happen... and how do we make it stop?"

my brithday started at midnight riding on a school bus with my favorite young people.
they sang a loud happy birthday to me as we drove from manti back to salt lake city.
i got some sleep, the mr. made a yummy breakfast for me, and we headed out for the day.
my birthday included pool time, a thai dinner, and homemade texas sheet cake.

mom put on another lovely sunday dinner this weekend.
we finished it with a strawberry shortcake roll.
mmm.
if one thing is clear, it's that i'm a lover of food.
and my birthday weekend was full of the best of it!

powell-ing around

2011-06-28T11:35:00.000-06:00

the mr. left me for training in california so instead of flying solo for a week,
i joined my fam at lake powell.
i think i got the better end of that deal.

who isn't up for getting some sun, lounging around and ditching work?
it really is a slice of paradise, and i was in great company
with my family and my second family cox's.

honorary guest: urban outfitters panama hat.
you can't be sick of it yet because there is more to come in summer 2011.

summerfest

2011-06-27T14:16:00.003-06:00

my hometown orem puts on a cute, small-town summerfest with a
parade & carnival every summer.
turns out zach + haley have a primo parade-viewing spot on their front lawn.

we watched the floats drive by while we ate ice cream and caught

laffy taffys thrown from the parade.

'twas the perfect summer night.

memorial weekend vacay to...

2011-06-01T21:44:00.000-06:00

nü yȯrk si-tē

thursday we hopped a plane from slc to jfk
took the metro into manhattan
where we partied for five sunny days.

we exhausted our feet walking the streets day & night,
stopping to eat at local restaurants,
admiring high-end fashion and watching masses of people crowd the streets.

we saw two broadway shows--catch me if you can & phantom of the opera.
i loved them both! i fell in love a little with the phantom's orchestra.
that music!?! my oh my.

we rode on a boat to the statue of liberty
& stopped at ellis island before returning to manhattan.

sunday afternoon we (and a bajillion other people) walked across the brooklyn bridge.
such a sophisticated skyline.

we stopped for dessert almost every night,
even just to pick up ben & jerry's to take to our room.
one night we came across magnolia bakery by chance.
the mr. walked in, spotted his fav german choco cake,
and had ordered a slice before i finished my pass through the cupcakes.
ha! we sat together in rockefeller square and shared the cake.

ten years ago i visited nyc for the first time.
i remember riding the elevator in the world trade center tower & the spectacular
overview of the huge city from the top of that sky-high building.
it's now one huge construction zone, with no towers,
and will forever be hallowed ground.
we and many others stopped to pay respect this memorial day to all those
who lost their lives.
a memorial will be complete this fall,
and a new tower is being constructed slowly.
we toured the small visitor's center
where i snapped the following photo of those who died.

such a tragedy, but neat to see the area in person.

that's a wrap on new york city.
so fun - so full of people (& food) - so not relaxing - but so worth it!

i'm sore

2011-05-23T10:12:00.002-06:00

along with my family room update, i started another big project in the midst of last busy season. cause you know i needed a few things to do.
my co-workers talked || persuaded || forced me into joining them in a relay race in park city.
it's shorter than ragnar that they participated in last year, and at the time i liked knowing it would whip me into shape in time for summer.

but...
who is not a runner? this girl.
who hasn't consistently worked out in loooong time? me.
and who didn't credit park city's ginormous mountains as more than a novice race route? yea.

i trained a lot over the last few months. me + treadmill = many date nights.
i ran a 4-mile stretch followed by 7 miles, & had a lot of fun cheering on my team in between.

how am i today? in one word... ouch!

home stretch

2011-05-19T10:18:00.000-06:00

my friend diana took this holga of my neighborhood.
i'm completely obsessed with its imperfect lines, the red trax train & gorgeous sky.
i may ask if i can make a print of it for my new frame collage.

---------------------------------------

speaking of mi casa... we're on the home stretch of the family room update.
i have wallpaper samples scattered to & fro
while i try to decide on the perfect fit for the accent wall.

and i've been busy diy-ing these beauties from the classifeds.

when i was out spray painting last week, a friendly neighbor who i hadn't met before stopped to say hello. turns out she is a diy genious and is lending me her staple gun for the reupholstery. bless her!

i'm so excited to wrap up this project when i'm back in town. in just two short days--wahoo!

day 1

2011-05-15T15:36:00.001-06:00

image from here

i landed in the windy city of chicago just a few hours ago.

i wish i could say i'm here with the mr. wearing bright-colored summer clothes gallivanting around this great city.

nay.

it's windy / cold / raining.

i travelled with my briefcase, heels and tax paraphernalia.

i'll spend the next five days immersed in classrooms & books leaving no time for seeing the sites.

i'm a little sad + lonely, but hey you might get a few blog posts out of me.

if nothing more, my pinterest account will be updated with lovelies.

are you pinning? we should be friends!

a blue family room

2011-05-03T21:48:00.000-06:00

i have a new tactic in getting my house put together the way i want it. i'm focusing on one room at a time, and it's refreshing to not feel so overwhelmed. the family room hasn't received much attention since we moved in. picture white walls, square storage cubes as a makeshift coffee table, and limited seating.

i'm six weeks into the family room update and here is its current state.

i'm still working on a rug, something to adorn the wall above the couch, and creating an accent wall where the tv sits. every time i get distracted and find the perfect something for another room, i tell myself to fogitaboutit. so far so good.

once the room is complete sometime this month, i'll give you a little walk around with before pics.

easter & love

2011-04-28T16:44:00.002-06:00

sunday felt like a whirlwind of emotions. i spent the morning gathering pictures and notes and adding stickers to create a keepsake for a dear friend who is moving away. since i moved to salt lake 18+ months ago, i've served with her in the young womens. she's been a mentor in a thousand ways. we've camped together under the stars with ten teenage girls sans camp director, we've chatted about guys and biking and life late many nights, together we've been on tens of early saturday morning baptism trips and we've knocked countless doors in our area. she's a rock in the gospel and has an immovable testimony she shares in the best way.

she taught her last lesson easter sunday. it was about love and the women in the easter story. i thought a lot about mary the mother of Christ and the tremendous love she must have had for Him. from the time she carried Him in the womb to when she witnessed His death on the cross, she knew what her role was and showed love by not being concerned with what others thought. we learned about mary of bethany and that important washing & annointing she performed preparatory for christ's final week, all in the name of love. and about mary magdalene, her rejoicing in a seeing a risen Christ. post lesson it was an emotional exit from church, but a fantastic last lesson from a friend.

the day ended in orem with yet again another amazingly delicious dinner made by mom. she's on a kick lately to set the table and accessorize with a theme. easter was no exception.

cousins came over. we ate my favorite ham loaf dinner until we moved onto morgan's baked-to-perfection pies. i ate and ate and ate some more. all in good company. i'm so grateful to celebrate the resurrection of Christ and reflect on that single most important event in all of history.

happy day

2011-04-22T08:42:00.002-06:00

tax deadlines are some of the better days of my life, i.e. right next to birthdays, christmas, and july 4 in terms of anticipation and awesomeness. i left work friday the 15th at 6 pm with all my returns filed, feeling 99 parts exhausted and defeated and 1 part ready to go out and celebrate. jared and i decided on a quick date to our favorite thai siam.

if you ever go, you must get the sticky rice dessert with mango. i'm telling you - the stuff is legit.

we sat and chatted. lucky jared got to hear my list of ten thousand things i would like to do with my new free time. i don't know what it is about being so consumed by work, but with every busy season i manage to create list after list of things to do post-busy season. maybe it's my way of keeping hope?

here's some favs from my lists:

run on the jordan river trail
d.i. trip for frames and books
ease into my lost social life
put that 20% off urban outfitters coupon to use
find the sunshine and get a tan
refinish and reupholster chairs from classifieds

alls i know is that sounds like heaven compared to taxes.
so happy to move onto more interesting things.

um... hi

2011-04-18T15:22:00.000-06:00

just peaking my head around the corner to say hello. oh how i've missed you little blog! tax season was far too long. be back soon with regular posting! xoxo

randomonium

2011-02-22T09:59:00.003-07:00

things are feeling very black and white as my days get busier with accounting during this insane-work-all-hours-of-the-night season. i have so many lovely and not so lovely thoughts to share. it's been too long.

february is not my month for sticking to new year's resolutions. i know i'm only one month out, whoops! i baked a batch of bread and forgot to add the salt. it wasn't until a day later when i made a toast that i noticed the lack of salt. so now i salt my bread before eating it and think to myself awesome job genious. ahh - it would have been so simple to add a teaspoon of salt to the dough before i cooked it. i told you i joined book club. i've made it to just one meeting and read a total of one chapter in one book. eeek! this is not supposed to be happening.

kristyne is living with us and she is my saving grace. it is so fantastic to have someone around the house at night while the mr. works long hours. we cook and eat dinner together, laugh at our favorite reality tv shows, and chat about boys/work/school. our routine is really so awesome. bless her.

my eyes are healed and i feel like i've witnessed a miracle every morning when i reach for my glasses and realize i don't need them anymore. the doctor says i see 20/20 in each eye individually and he's hopeful my eyes improve a little from there. laser eyes rock.

saturday morning at the early hour of 5 am, i was driving a car of young women to the temple. feeling a little delirious as anyone does at that insane hour, i saw the empty and dark state street as my own highway to the temple. the girls and i were chit chatting while music played quietly behind our voices when BAM! we passed a hidden police car facing state street. i held my breath for five seconds while i watched the car inch onto my highway. sure enough he flipped on his lights and my heart sunk. 44 in a 35, he told me while requesting my license and registration. i obliged and told him i was indeed going too fast. he asked where a group of girls in dresses were going at such an early hour, and i didn't know how to respond. i think i actually said, "we're going downtown (pause - thinking do i play the temple card) to the temple." he walked back to his car with flashing lights and returned only to hand over my license and registration and tell me the speed limit from where i was all the way to the temple was 35. i rolled up my window feeling giddy (good job playing the temple card - someone was looking out for us) and made the girls promise me no testimonies in sacrament about the time sis. lish was speeding and got pulled over.

my list of things to do once i plow through busy season continues to grow. i'm gearing up for another paint job and think my bedroom might be the place. between a fresh coat of colored paint and some bold patterned draperies (maybe something like these or these), i think it would make a fantastic post-busy-season recovery room. i'm also so ancy to create a little flower bed near my patio, but i suppose it will be covered in snow for another month or so.

happy tuesday and you're a champ if you read more than a paragraph of my ramblings.

i love you more than warming my cold feet on your legs

2011-02-15T09:19:00.001-07:00

we celebrated valentine's night separately at work.
that does not mean we love our jobs more than each other, right? right.

i skipped out on watching the bachelor on tivo last night, and we spent a half hour
exchanging cards and fourteen things we love about each other.

i love:
that he is no part mean, ever
his competitive drive
& his passion for futuristic cars/electronics (and how excited he gets telling me about these things!)

he loves:
that i can cook a tasty meal
how i interact with his friends & co-workers
& when i watch his tv shows with him.

image by heather.

a birthday dinner

2011-02-13T21:56:00.000-07:00

he turned thirteen this week.
he hosted his first boys + girls party.
his favorite lady friend came to said party.
the smirk on his face above is what happened when i asked about his lady friend.

he asked me to make his german choco birthday cake.
he made me feel so special when he asked.

he is my brother.
hugs & kisses, mr. cole.

a celebration of football

2011-02-09T07:49:00.001-07:00

we gathered at cornelius' for a superbowl feast this year with the ivins.

i'm still unsure if the celebration was more for surviving football season,
seeing great friends and chit chatting,
laughing at brilliant advertising,
or playing with two of my favorite little friends.

whatever it was it was awesome.

jessica ivins who i know from study abroad knows my neighbor shannon,
and this is our first attempt to get everyone together.

i'm still laughing at the doritos office geek licking his co-workers finger... mmm cheese.

red hearts and such

2011-02-06T23:26:00.000-07:00

heather approached me a few weeks ago about doing a
lovely dovey valentiney photo shoot me and the mr.
i've followed her work for a while and i adore her style.
i begged jared for the go ahead and responded to her a split second later.

noted:
jared really loves me to pose for the camera in an outfit of my choice
while i smooch him with red lips.
heather uses the same camera i own. my oh my it's time to learn about iso/aperture/lenses/composition.
the colors in my hair need to be muted to be more similar and less streaky skunk like.
there are really kind and talented people like heather who i am grateful for.

resolution no. 3

2011-01-31T11:00:00.001-07:00

plan a weekly menu.

i know life is in order when i spend time on saturday planning lunches & dinners
for the following week, and then i go to the store and buy all of the groceries i will need.

it fixes the problem of getting off work at 6 and then trying to think of something to make
followed by jumping in the car for a quick trip to the store,
only to start cooking dinner way too late.

it fixes the problem of wondering what to buy at the grocery store
and buying items that sit in my fridge unused until i dump them in the trash.

it helps me eat more home-cooked meals and less taco bell dinners.

and i think there is something about a home-cooked meal,
especially when i have the right ingredients and know what i'm making.

here is my inspiration.

from ollibird.

this post concludes my 2011 resolutions.

here's how i'm doing with resolutions no. 1 & 2:
i joined my neighborhood book club this month and am reading googled by ken auletta.
and i'm baking bread like crazy.
one month down, eleven to go.

weekend recap and a suit story

2011-01-30T18:04:00.001-07:00

jared wore his suit to church today!
background on that: he looks extra handsome in his suit, and
he usually opts for a more comfortable dress pant with shirt sans jacket
despite my weekly efforts and pleas.
we made it all the way to church, walked into the chapel and found a seat,
and another 15 minutes passed before i realized my handsome church date was wearing a really attractive suit!
i looked over and whispered to him words of praise.

now we're bundled up on the couch listening to music. not too much on our minds, and
a yummy japanese dinner cooked by the neighbors will be served in an hour.

this time of year is so hard for me. our jobs roar like a wild fire and demand so much of us.
life loses balance so quickly, and i turn into a stress bomb ticking and tocking day and night.
fortunately, the mr. stays composed and handles it like a champ.
it is the profession we chose (why?), and in a sense it does get easier and we get more accustomed to the lifestyle, but it's still my least favorite season of the year.
i rely so much on weekends to fulfill the weekday void and lift me up.

this weekend really was so lovely.

friday night we shopped gateway and spoiled ourselves with cafe rio.
saturday i painted my nails red, rolled MAC's "russian red" on my lips and
headed outside with sparkly heart props to take valentine pictures with the mr.
more on that later, but here's a quick preview.

and today i was surprised with my favorite suit-wearing date at church.

yellow & navy

2011-01-25T13:40:00.003-07:00

shannon and i threw a baby shower for my neighbor valerie.
valerie and i work together in young womens and have been friends since i moved in fall of '09.
she's a quick walk from my front door when i am baking goodies
and realize i need just one more egg.
you know that friend.

pregnant women in my neighborhood are popping up as fast as flowers in springtime.
seriously i'm quickly feeling outnumbered.
i've been to so many showers and bought too many carter's outfits that all look the same
so i've started giving handmade gifts.
i sewed a set of bibs for valerie and paired them with some baby spoons.
i oo-ed and aw-ed over them for the entire two weeks i spent sewing them.

and now, the yellow & navy shower:

shannon + valerie || me + valerie:

we served soups & salad with shannon's yummy sour dough bread
& my daily cracked light wheat bread:

presents galore:

the ladies:

lemon bar favors to go along with the yellow & navy theme:

resolution no. 2

2011-01-11T21:43:00.002-07:00

read 10 books.

i know it sounds a little weak for so many of you, but i'm just not a reader.
in fact, i only read three books last year.
ha - embarrassing fact!
i think it's a combination of other distractions--computer & tv--and that
i take so long to get through a book that i start forgetting what i've read.

not this year.
i'm starting by joining the book club in my neighborhood.
i hear they meet next tuesday.

'til then i'll be sorting through my stack of never-before-read books i own.

image from here.

something's missing

2011-01-09T15:22:00.000-07:00

i have a new look going for me--no glasses!

i got lasik on tuesday this week! i'm so happy i think i'll dance and shout it from the rooftops. the surgery was so simple and pain free and i can see!

it's surreal opening my eyes in the morning and being able to see out my window. that's when it really sinks in that my eyes are fixed. oh, and everytime i put on a pair of cute shades. i haven't been able to wear sunglasses very often and it's fun to throw them on in the car while i'm driving. that and my eyes are more sensitive to the sun.

i still catch myself still looking for my glasses all the time. i guess sixteen years of wearing anything will do that to you. i'm so excited about my new look! hoepefully you are too.

resolution no. 1

2011-01-04T09:02:00.001-07:00

i've spent a lot of time thinking about what i want to accomplish this new year.
over the next few days i'm going to share what i resolve to do in 2011 with you.

bake homemade bread for everyday use instead of buying it at the store.

this is something my mom does and i've been wanting to give it a try.
we got a bread slicer and wheat grinder from my parents for christmas,
and i took really good notes when i made bread with my mom earlier last month.
here are pictures of jared and i giving it a go last week.

it's a cracked light wheat bread that uses some bulgur wheat.
i use my kitchenaid mixer to make the dough,
and then it's a process of kneading and rising followed by rolling and rising.

each batch makes two loaves, meaning i probably only need to make
bread twice a month or even less.
i'll freeze a loaf once it's made and then use it when needed.

mmm. honey + butter.

bread slicer.

sliced bread.

so there you have it. resolution no. 1.

farewell twenty ten

2011-01-03T15:42:00.001-07:00

we celebrated the new year at home with jared's family. we skiied park city, played pictionary, got really confused watching inception, and i stole a quick smooch from my handsome bearded man as the clock struck midnight.

twenty ten, you've been good to me. you have brought many firsts, which are always one part exciting and another part scary. you've brought adventures and travels to new places, new friends and time spent with the old. you've given me memories to cherish for a lifetime. to you twenty ten!

in twenty ten, we finished our first full year as business people with post-college jobs. and although we have both transitioned into our new roles, it's tough learning how uncompromising and ruthless the working world can be at times. we've each grown indidivually and as a couple we've learned to navigate the ups and downs together. during busy season, i couldn't ask for a better friend at home cheering me on, making the bed, cleaning up after my many messes and cooking so many meals for me as i sit at my desk working late hours. life is always better with the mr.

in january we welcomed haley into our family, marking one of my happiest days ever. she is the perfect fit for my brother and makes his world spin 'round. i adore her and love having another girl in the family after being my parent's only daughter. family is where it's at.

twenty ten marked jared's twenty-seventh birthday and my twenty-fourth. wow! it's crazy to think we were a young twenty-four and twenty-one when we tied the knot. our relationship has changed so much in the four years since we met that first day of class in fall 2006. our first phase was school, dating and getting to know our new life together. then it was a big move to salt lake and getting settled in our first little home and figuring out the work thing, and now i sometimes wonder if we're ready to stretch ourselves again and start a new phase. it's a little intimidating to think about, especially when life is in tune and balanced at the moment.

there is so much to look forward to in this new year--a clean slate of sorts where we can learn from what's come and go forward to be better. thank you twenty ten!

all my love,

candace

my favorite picture of the year
my favorite project of the year
my favorite post of the year

gifting

2010-12-30T06:00:00.036-07:00

one of my favorite gifts i received this year is this watercolor portrait by ashmae.
it's created from the image featured on our christmas card here.

i've seen ashmae's work on other blogs and at bijou market. i'm a big fan.
she has an etsy shop you can check out if you're interested.

-------------------------------------------------

my favorite gift i gave this year was the pair of white shiny snow skis i surprised the mr. with.
he's been talking about new skis for a while,
but i convinced him they were too spendy.

i got lucky to find a friend who helped me get them half off.

'round the tree

2010-12-29T10:53:00.001-07:00

we had a lovely christmas spent with my family this year.

santa visited us christmas eve at home||we slumbered in matching pj's||
mom spoiled us all with ham loaf and other fixings||
wii sports provided hours of laughter||christmas day took us to the theater to see "true grit"

we played wii tennis long enough for my little brother to teach us how to play like he does.
it took all day. the mr. claims he is still sore.

and what's christmas without a walk around temple square?

i hope yours was equally filled with family and love.
around the tree 2009 here.

sending our love

2010-12-24T06:00:00.041-07:00

our first christmas card 2010
photo via the tripod at cottonwood canyon

a really short but lovely trip

2010-12-23T23:20:00.000-07:00

we took a quick two-day trip to las vegas to see the mr.'s pride and joy boise state football.
by nature of my last name lish i am a boise state fan, but when boise state plays
the utes i cheer for boise state
like its my life on the line because it almost is.

the only other pictures we have are of the hotel since that's all we saw.
sleeping in until 11 am gameday really didn't allow for anything other than a shower and lunch, which worked for me because it felt like a million buckaroos to stay tucked away in warm covers with not a thing to do.

i love you forever christmas break.

behind the lens

2010-12-20T16:59:00.000-07:00

{christmas card outtake}

i'm on a bit of a photography kick.
not the kind where i'm going to claim "professional photographer" and
open candace lish photography online (won't happen),
but the kind where i setup the tripod and force jared into a displayed outfit in front of the tripod.
i need kids so jared can get a break.

i wanted fresh never-before-seen pictures for our christmas card.
not that it matters, but that's one of many crazy ideas i get in my head and then there is no changing my mind.
so off we went to the canyon with our tripod.
pretty sure jared would rather have been anywhere than standing in front of the lens
while i ran back and forth clicking the 10-second timer.
the whole scenario reads m i s e r a b l e to my honey.
alas he survived and i have the picture above to savor the memory.

freedom

2010-12-18T16:09:00.001-07:00

as of yesterday, both of us are off the working clock until 2011!
that's sixteen sweet days of freedom--no alarm clocks, no dress clothes, no ticking & tying.
now if i could just freeze time... hmf.

we kicked off the break skiing at the bird, giddy to be out for the first time this season.

here's to hoping for more white fluff over the break.

other plans before 2011? i'm working on a few house projects.

i spruced up this wall with some frames laying around and two new ikea beauties.

it's part of my family room update or rather my first attempt to do anything with that room.

i'm really excited about what's in the works. more on that soon.

also in the house...
we're making a spare bedroom more permanently a spare (stub is moving in for a few months).

we added shutters in place of paper blinds and painted over the multiple swatches of blue hues

among other things. pictures in a week or two.

welcome christmas break!

s'il vous plait

2010-12-10T14:13:00.004-07:00

hey how are you? are you feeling the christmas cheer?

the first week of december has been a whirlwind of parties and gatherings, errands and to-do lists,
and nights in eating soup and watching the jazz play.
mix in my favorite holiday radio station
--contemporary holiday on slacker radio--
and a couple mugs of hot cocoa, and it's been a busy and joyful december so far.

this week i got together with cousins, aunt, grandma & mom for a fondue dinner.

isn't grandma's fur coat lovely? she is hip like that.

melting pot's dessert is above and beyond anything else i've eaten--todiefor!

i'm the oldest grandchild on this side of the family,
and it's crazy to see my cousins so grown up and in college and one even married!

my mom and aunt, like peanut butter & jelly, generally found together.

the company was fabulous & the food tasty.
also, main street is lit up beautifully if you're in the area.

keep it up december. i like where this is going.

argh

2010-12-01T22:08:00.003-07:00

my goal beat me.
i have two lovelies left on my list
who i haven't found the right gift for.

maybe it didn't beat me all the way because i am sooo close to finishing.

----------------------------------------------

a few free printables to kick of december:

let it snow / jingle bells / o christmas tree

scrumptious lazing numbing heartbreaking

2010-11-30T15:39:00.001-07:00

we left for thanksgiving in boise
earlier than we originally planned so we could avoid the snowstorms.
after all, last week utah braced for "the storm of the century."
ha - epic fail.

after a few extra hours in the car, we made it safely and for that i'm grateful.
the week was well worth it.
we played with little alexa twice before she left for salt lake.

her favorites are peekaboo, throw-all-the-pillows-in-a-huge-pile-and-jump,
and any kind of nummy you give her.

once the baby distraction left, we had to find our own things to do. jaime and i baked two batches of cupcakes--oreo and coconut--and cut out tomkat's thanksgiving toppers. i have no finished product pictures because we bought the wrong whole punch for the toppers.

dinner tasted like the best meal of the year that it is. janeen worked so hard for all of us,
and it was much appreciated. we've been eating frozen foods and toast since we got home.

i carried a cold around with me all week and i'm still not done with it.
that and the single-digit numbing temperatures were not in my favor.

football really killed jared's weekend. boise state's loss took a piece of his heart,
and byu's loss didn't relieve any sadness.
he still isn't watching his espn shows for fear the words will really hurt.

now back to gift shopping i go. one more night...
i can do this.

tall steamer with hazelnut

2010-11-30T15:39:00.000-07:00

top three

2010-11-28T21:35:00.002-07:00

we spent thanksgiving in boise and in a few words
it was scrumptious//lazing//numbing//heartbreaking.
more on that in my next post.

despite battling a nasty & heavy cold, i hit shopping hard over thanksgiving checking off many of those must-have gifts for my lovelies. i joined the forces at the mall and clicked my mouse from home, enough so that i still might make my goal of wednesday. maybe.

here are the three best deals i have to share:

no. 1

banana republic sweater

jared is asking for a couple of work shirts/pants for christmas. he's very traditional and hates the "metrosexual" style as he often reminds me. i showed him pictures of a few sweaters i like, and this one passed the test. after 40% off black friday + br luxe card rewards, the price went from $75 to $30 for a silk/cashmere sweater.

no. 2
$100 nordstrom rack card

groupon in san francisco was featuring a $100 card to nordstrom rack for $50. that's 50% off already discounted prices at a store i love. yes please! i'll use the vouchers this week to get a few things for jared. i love their dress clothes & shoes. hopefully i can stretch it a little further and find something for the impossible-to-shop-for dad or brother.

no. 3
alice in wonderland/bourne ultimatum/the princess bride

target had a great black friday sale on dvd's. we draw names in our families, and this dvd trio fit the ticket for a lucky sibling. bourne ultimatum and princess bride came in at $5 each, and alice in blue-ray was $10. even better, i scored the deal friday night after the early morning shoppers were likely sleeping at home from exhaustion.

what about you? how did you tackle black friday?

a walk around

2010-11-26T08:00:00.007-07:00

jared & i played christmas music and watched the snow fall outside during
a utah storm a week ago. we couldn't resist adorning our house with a little red+green.

a lish christmas:

the miniature nutcrackers are new this year, and i'm so happy to have them.
the rest of the decorations can be seen in a christmas past.

i made a goal this season to finish my holiday shopping before december. over zealous?
it's looking like it. i've got four days left and my shopping list has more lines
without checkmarks than with.

a thought on gratitude

2010-11-22T08:57:00.000-07:00

i serve in the young womens at church & it's been a blessing in so many ways.

during the lesson this week, a story was told about a man who many years ago worked for a university in idaho. he traveled the state regularly and was often away from home for 2 weeks at a time. on one occasion of saying goodbye to his small children and leaving the house for another trip, his daughter came to the door and waiving goodbye said, "Come again, daddy."

the man missed his family, and on one particular weekend away from home he found himself near extended family. he excitedly joined his extended family for church service one sunday. the bishop invited him to the stand and while the bishop introduced the man, he said,

"Brothers and sisters, wouldn’t it be wonderful to have a job like Brother Benson? he’s always on a trip.'

the man thought, ‘Yes, how true to life.
distant pastures usually look greener.’

it's so easy to focus on where i want to be or to wish i had this or that.
this story reminds me to give thanks for my situation, for where i am, and for everything i do have.

wishing you all a happy thanksgiving!
cupcake toppers here. i plan to use them this week.

un po di nocciola

2010-11-20T21:13:00.006-07:00

if the god's of gelato could only make one flavor, it would be nocciola.
i first fell in love in leini, italy where the hazelnut cream stole my heart.
photos above from a gelateria in newport.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

it's been a busy 24+ hours.
i took friday off because there isn't a thing to be done at work - hallelujah -
and i've got many pre-holiday tasks to tend to.

i cleaned the house yesterday morning before my mom came to help me cook a triple batch of spaghetti sauce and 50 meatballs. she is a whiz in the kitchen! she dumped a little of this and a little of that to make the most tasty of sauces. and i think she spent 20 minutes total gathering ingredients for meatballs and individually scooping them to baking sheets. we finished in time to get chinese food for lunch and i was home at 1 pm with an afternoon free. so naturally i dove right into the big storage bins in the garage that are home to all things sparkly and red+green. i may have a tall lighted object sitting in my family room right as we speak! more on that friday. then i cooked pasta noodles and attended an etiquette dinner with the youth in our ward. after a lengthy cleanup and past the point of exhaustion, i slowly walked home and crawled into bed.

jared and i laid in bed and somehow started telling each other knock-knock jokes. not the ones you've heard before, but ones we made up using inside jokes and ridiculous phrases we use around the house. i laughed and he smiled. it was the perfect ending to a busy day.

so grateful for time off of work, nocciola gelato & the man in my life.

and looking forward to the thanksgiving holiday in five days.

time off

2010-11-09T09:49:00.001-07:00

disneyland was mega awesome!

we ran from ride to ride like little kids,
ate more churros than we drank water,
battled each other in toy story,
got soaked on splash mountain,
watched mesmerized by the creative genious of world of color,
traded pins 'til i just couldn't take it anymore,
shot about a thousand too many pictures,
& laughed with each other.

a glimpse of our trip:

pictures of tie-dye & a disneyland halloween two years ago here.

happy halloween

2010-10-31T18:47:00.006-06:00

from the happiest place on earth.

- Posted using BlogPress

tuesday

2010-10-29T13:56:00.003-06:00

we spent anniversary number three indulging in a delicious dinner
followed by watching the snow fall outside.
a low key evening fit the ticket this year since our anniversary
fell on a weekday and just before vacation.

handmade pasta for me & steak with potatoes for the mr.
we topped off dinner with thick, creamy hot cocoa & biscotti.

this year's musts:

sexy red lipstick✔
cucina toscana✔
fresh flowers✔
an unexpected snow storm✔

a+ date, love you jared!

tre anni

2010-10-26T16:59:00.000-06:00

to my handsome husband of three years, you make my world spin 'round. ti amo.

apps for the week

2010-10-25T21:56:00.001-06:00

it snowed last night making me wonder if i live in hell. my toes froze through the night and i woke up to shower in a cold house before braving the wind on my walk from the car to work. brrr! it was cold on saturday but i stayed in all day and cooked soup with fuzzy socks on. that's just the difference. the snow is okay if you are skiing or staying in. under most other circumstances, the snow is suggestive of hell. to its credit, the white-capped mountains are glowing with beauty! i'm eager to ski with jared, and the app i downloaded has all the utah resorts with up-to-date snow fall and lift openings/closures. i'm trying to focus on the good people but it's just so darn cold!

2.
luckily we're escaping to sunny california this week for some time with mickey + minnie. a post-busy season vacation racing around from ride-to-ride at disneyland will be quite the fix. just hoping i don't have to watch jared and zach take on a turkey leg again and i don't lose my phone on splash mountain. a newly discovered disneyland app gives current wait times on every ride in the park. how's that for planning purposes? here's hoping at&t 3g works in the park.

3.
item three is anticipated as much as christmas! yup - we're celebrating our anniversary this week! three years of jared + candace. we're working on dinner plans now, maybe venturing out for something new. not sure what else the mr. has up his sleeve. more to come on this.

***i've been combing etsy for hours in search of a "would-be" christmas card. what happened to simplicity and clean lines? the cards resemble 90's scrapbooks--so overdone and cheezed. make my own? i wouldn't know where to start. hmmm.***

weekend recap

2010-10-18T11:51:00.000-06:00

friday night the mr. and i went out on a date. he was in a great mood from finishing a really busy week at work and golfing friday with his buddies & co-workers (they are one in the same). i took friday off and went to the new target in slc (bless you) and did a whole lot of nothing. it was beautiful. in the afternoon i found a new lemon chicken & pasta recipe and got to it. it's my favorite to cook dinner for jared when i have the day off or i'm at home working. i lurve it! turns out the recipe was nasty or i didn't know how to cook it (could be the latter). i was bummed. jared used 50 shakes of salt and pepper and assured me it was good as he finished off his plate (bless him).

the mr. had been wanting to see the social network so after dinner we drove to gateway and buried ourselves in the seats at the theatre. i wasn't not wanting to go, but i made sure we saw life as we know it last weekend before seeing the facebook movie and i've pushed for lots of other dates in the last three weeks since the movie came out. bad idea! i should have listened to him on this one. the social network was nothing short of fascinating! the story behind the harvard student mark zuckerberg and the invention of facebook blew my mind.

the rest of the weekend was history. we ate chocolate molten cakes with ice cream and raspberries and mom made a deliciously large turkey dinner sunday, 10-courses or something. and we mixed up another batch of pumpkin chocolate chip cookies too. if we keep going like this, we will need to roll ourselves to holiday parties! we watched football and movies and cuddled on the couch. i thought about what i could give to jared for our 3-year anniversary next week. and i even started thinking about christmas gifts. i know i'm about 2 months too early, but what's a girl to do.

and here we are on another monday morning... i wish you a lovely week!

music makes my heart sing

2010-10-14T09:10:00.000-06:00

now that we're done with busy season and i'm breathing easy again, i have time for something oustide of the wake-up - shower - eat - work - eat - sleep routine. that's not to say i didn't occasionally blow time on keeping up with the kardashians or get a little sidetracked on my way to pickup lunch at the glorious gateway, but seriously life is just so much better post busy season.

i'm on a mega quest to add more artists/albums to my library. if you've seen me in the last week we've probably talked about music because i'm curious what you all like these days.

-----------------» seriously, SPILL - THE - BEANS.

my dear sis (do i need to use the word in-law? ugh i don't like that word but that's what she is. we'll use sis) has a blog and she's always adding new music. i go to her blog and play the music when i get ready in the morning or at work if i need to check out for five. she's living the college dream and is super hip. if you need new tunes, you can count on a song post regularly. check her out.

♫ here is a mix of stub's music and some other great songs i've found, new & old:

                      + First Aid Kit / Ghost Town
                      +  Brandi Carlile / Have You Ever
                     + Rosi Golan / Hazy
                      + Brett Dennen / Ain't No Reason
                      + Crystalised / The Xx
                      + Band of Horses / Laredo
                    + Mindy Gledhill / Hourglass
                      + Iron & Wine / Kingdom of the Animals
                      + Pearl Jam / Just Breathe
                    + Rosi Golan / Think of Me
                      + Ray LaMontagne / Beg Steal or Borrow
                      + JJ / You Know

you could call it my "chill" playlist. i hope you like it!

other playlists i'm listening to here and here.

tour di lishes

2010-10-11T22:08:00.002-06:00

ahhh i live for house projects lately! anything i can do to spruce up a space on the wall or pretty a corner in a room makes me smile. it's been one year since we moved into our townhome and i want to share some projects/rooms i've been working on.

family room painted shelves:

i saw a similar display at alice lane and asked for the paint color. it always helps to see a color on a wall before you paint. this area of the house gets a little update with every season--yellow for summer, christmas wreath in another month or two with a nativity on a shelf, berries in winter, etc.

master bedroom bedding:

we used to have a brown pinstripe duvet on top of our bed. i liked its masculine style and it was so heavy in the winter, but there was too much brown with the duvet and the dark wood furniture. so we swapped the duvet (almost literally, we sold the old duvet on ebay) for this one from west elm. the gray quilt at the foot of the bed is the quilt i made with my grandma here, and the random shams are from target and anthro. next in this room is paint and draperies.

master bathroom:

we added the rug (also from west elm) and a few hooks and nic-nacks on the wall. it needs paint and something more... just not sure where to go with this one. does the rug look familiar?

guest bathroom:

we had paint leftover from the shelves in the family room and so we thought why not see how it looks as an accent wall in the bathroom. the green undertones of the paint show more in the bathroom, and i love the drastic dark contrasted with the off-white. then we pulled in black & white pictures and a waste basket and clock made of wood.

pendant lamp:

jared just installed this light from cb2. just $50 and we got rid of the classic glass mounted light and added a touch of modern flare.

so there it is--tour di lishes one year after we started making it our own!

red // orange // yellow

2010-10-06T12:03:00.003-06:00

are you all ready for fall? because it's here and i have a smile on my face!

the other day i pulled out the decorating bins or crates should i say (they are big enough to fit small people in them), and i organized christmas/valentines/halloween/summer/and all my other junk. i pulled out my sparkly pumpkins and dusted my fall wreath before draping it over the front door. as soon as i get 5 minutes while i'm out, i'm stopping at the store to buy a real pumpkin or two to sit on my porch. then i think jared and i will carve those pumpkins when it gets closer to halloween. i love the four seasons--winter less than the others--and the change they bring!

fall used to remind me of going back to school and ending my summer fun at the lake, but it also meant soccer was starting and i got to go shopping for clothes with mom. for one season, fall meant falling in love and planning my wedding. ohhh, that was a wonderful season! nowadays fall brings football and decorating our little house, along with blessed tv shows airing again and hearty home-cooked meals.

friday we left work early in the afternoon and went with friends to maddox on our way to logan. the food met all the rave reviews we had heard and the drive through the canyon was absolutely beauty-ful! we blasted billy joel and sang all the lyrics our hearts desired.

we made it to logan, spent 3 miserable hours watching the cougars die a quick death against the aggies, and then piled back in the car and cued softer music for our night drive home.

once we debriefed the game to clear the mr.'s mind, we chatted and laughed like there wasn't a worry in the world. we talked about everything from how excited we are to ski the slopes to what motivates people to do things (he's reading a book on the subject) to how we've been married 3 years this month.

ah fall! i welcome you with a big hug.

mi famiglia

2010-09-25T18:24:00.003-06:00

we celebrated mom's birthday in august and surprised her with this photo shoot.

us chipman's don't get the camera out a lot, and so it's pretty remarkable to have a family picture with me and zach as marrieds and cole wearing a size bigger than 2T. seriously, our last shoot was when i was in high school. we we're due to get dressed up and in front of the lens.

here are my favorites from the shoot.

a snippet of pictures to come

2010-09-21T10:22:00.003-06:00

"Let the sunlight in, I wanna feel it from within,
You spin me around and make me feel like I could Shine." - Rosi Golan

push play

2010-09-19T19:48:00.000-06:00

i filed boxes of tax returns wednesday and waltzed out of work at an early 3 pm with a skip in my step.

since then it's been about relaxing and organizing and cleaning and then repeating again. my to-do list looked like this:

scrub the house✔

wax eyebrows✔

hang by pool✔

lunch with friends✔

update ipod✔

hang ikea frames✔

bake pumpkin cookies✔

decorate house for fall✔

pictures with jessie✔

nap on couch✔

two days off + a weekend means my sanity is back and life is in play mode.

i've missed you blog, and i've missed you friends. but i'm back!

monday again?

2010-08-30T07:00:00.001-06:00

we have this term we use a lot at work lately:

firedrill.

in public accounting terms it describes a lot of stressed out people working overtime on projects with ~~unrealistic~~ tight deadlines. i sort of run around like a chicken with my head cut off drinking plenty of diet coke and dreaming of vacation. 16 days my friends!

getting past debbie downer... three weekend happenings.

chocolate berry lava cake - mom's birthday - boise state sports illustrated

love bugs

2010-08-10T11:45:00.002-06:00

i think a day in the mr.'s heaven would look like this:

food from texas roadhouse
a new pair of shoes
the best backscratch
a package in the mail to "dick lish" (compliments of loving bro's/sis's)
german chocolate cake
a j.crew tee (psych! but oh i couldn't resist it's too sexy)
calls, hugs, and messages from good pals

and so we spent the day celebrating slash spoiling the mr. with all his faves.

and throw a little crazy family in there too.

we took about 5 of this exact same picture, and someone who likes to wreck havoc on all things photography kept pulling creepy faces.

and i leave with you the words from the adorable card my brother cole (12 years) wrote to jared:

J, thank you for being the best bro-in-law, and

thank you for being so nice to me and loving to me.

also, thanks for helping me with sports and

you're awesome = cool.

love,
bugs

a day at jordanelle

2010-08-02T08:02:00.007-06:00

we borrowed ma and pa's boat and skiied/tubed/boarded/ at jordanelle this weekend.
jared's work friends and their wee little ones came along with us, and we had a great time.
the freckles on my skin say so.

i have one regret--why don't we do this more?

monday slumday

2010-07-26T21:24:00.008-06:00

i can't honestly believe...

i'm still watching the bachelorette. the lines feel more scripted and the cheese is thicker than ever. i think it's reached the phase where nobody should be trusted even though everyone professes to be there "for the right reasons." what does that even mean? i'm not convinced ali is even going to pick anyone in the end, and it makes me mad just thinking about it. i think she's gotten what she wants from it--the fame and glam. yah-dee-yah... time to find another television timewaster.

oh, and the bachelor pad preview?!? the bachelorette was never a functional/wholesome show, and the bachelor pad looks about 1 million times worse. jared says he would watch it just to see the weatherman, and i might agree. he's hilarious! i love his line from the bachelorette when he's filming the music video and he and ali are passionately kissing in the library when talks about the scene saying,

"like a rocket ship - it just blew up emotionally."

haha! are you kidding me?

just one more thing about the bachelorette... how about craig r. tonight? he's so vocal and his opinions are right on! i would like to see him and "rated r" fight it out.

i woke up saturday morning...

to the aftermath of my birthday gift, my first month's bill from the iphone. as if the dozens of dropped phone calls were enough of a gift from at&t, my bill was sky high and i assure you i didn't use not even one extra minute/text/data. they have a fee for everything, and oh my plan is prepay because that's what i signed up for (really?), and don't forget the ginormous setup charge!!! ugh. i called customer service at 9 am when it opened, and they were about as helpful and friendly as a couple of robots on another planet. basically i've got 2 years of crap coming my way.

the phone is awesome, and i can multi-task just about anywhere with it. {this is what i will tell myself for the next two years.} i'm skyping, and tweeting, and blogging, and being entertained with games and the world wide and it's fun! it's almost scary how much i can do with it. like i have to think to myself to put the phone down and just let it be me and jared for the night.

to celebrate the pioneers...

we had my family over for a bbq. for the first time in our marriage and my life, in the last six months or so i think the cooking thing has finally clicked. the mr. and i make regular meals together complete with side dishes and vegetables, and we both actually like how they taste. it hasn't always been this way. just ask my family (or spend a few minutes with me in the kitchen with them), and all of the old jokes will come back. like one time i thought a cucumber was a zucchini and i cooked it with olive oil and squash on the stove. yea, it doesn't taste right.

i've ventured out of my usual recipes to try a few new ones. i could never say i love a recipe blog or website because you just never know what you're going to get. but i can say that jenna's peach mango chicken over coconut rice is to die for, and sara has perfected the classic pancake. serious, if you're looking for new recipes try them both and then look around on their blogs for more ideas.

ps - isn't jenna's recipe blog adorable?

i'm off to bed to sleep this monday away and carry on refreshed from leaving my worries here with you. good night.

it's time

2010-07-20T07:30:00.001-06:00

the blog has been around long enough that i'm ready to print it and keep a pretty bound copy at my house. i spend too much time worrying about what if my blog gets deleted or what if i lose all of my pictures that are hosted by picasa web or what if the world wide web blows up. you know i lost my wedding pics, and i've been a mess ever since.

So, what do you know about printing a blog?

what companies are good?

what companies make it look pretty?

i want your expertise.

xoxo,
candace

under the trees

2010-07-19T08:30:00.000-06:00

have i told you much about my ward and church?
i don't think i have because there are some things i just don't know how to approach on the blog, and this is one of them.

i grew up in an area with 95% mormon people, i went to a church school, and then i moved to salt lake city--the headquarters of the mormon church. you could say i've always lived among lots of people who share my beliefs. forget the 4 months in italy for now.

when you're surrounded by so many religious people, your wards and church organizations seem to run very smoothly without a significant contribution on your part. well not so here in our townhouse in salt lake.

we live in an interesting neighborhood with lots of diversity and people of different backgrounds (in utah, i'm serious), and there are loads of opportunities to serve your neighbors and spread the gospel. it's awesome!

since we moved here last fall, i've been working with the young women--planning activities with them, teaching lessons on sunday, and getting to know what makes them who they are. in short, it's been my privilege to be their "leader" and learn from them what happiness is and how to find it.

i spent the last week camping with the girls in the mountains where we hiked, canoed, crafted, skitted, goofed off, and slept under the stars. i'm amazed at how much fun i had and how much closer our group is now.

the lake was so relaxing and beautiful. the girls raced each other and tipped each other,
and then had to find a way to get the submerged canoes floating again.

we woke up one morning and packed yogurt and granola for breakfast
and hiked to a beautiful lookout to eat.

leading devotional at the ampitheatre.

a late night cookie eating contest, without hands.

there was a 3-way tie. how boring.

sweet land of liberty

2010-07-08T07:30:00.002-06:00

ahh! i love summer holidays!
there's just something about being outside, soaking up the sun, playing in nature, bbq-ing, and then hanging out in the cool breeze of the night under the stars. all with family and friends.

we left for boise on friday morning and didn't start driving home until monday afternoon. it was a lovely break from our everyday routines at home.

we swam at the neighbor's pool a lot. i swear the water was heated to 80 degrees or some really warm tempature that didn't have any bite when you first got in. amazing!

little alexa came swimming with us, and she sat in her floatie and kicked her legs every direction with a big smile on her face. jaime and alexa are bff's.

the mr. trying to convince me to get in the water.
i preferred a loung chair and tanning oil, which i clearly need.

the boys can turn any activity into something dangerous and basketball-like. jared's brother "lite" is throwing the ball on the right with cruches and a torn acl from our last adventure together.

here's out attempt at "july." we're almost there.
sparklers are my favorite fireworks. i could light 10 of them in one night and be so entertained.

jared lighting a "tank" firework in the front of the house.

a mortar we picked up on our way into town.

and we ended the show with a little drummer fountain.

i'm missing the holiday already! 'til next year...

me + jaime

2010-07-08T07:00:00.001-06:00

here is one more picture from the holiday weekend.

i used the cross-process feature at picnik.

sparklers

2010-07-06T11:30:00.003-06:00

hope you had a wonderful july 4 weekend!

our travels took us to boise where we
bbq'd, swam, blew up fireworks, played with our baby niece,
worked on a sewing project, ate more food, & relaxed.

more pictures to come.

24 candles on the cake

2010-06-26T11:30:00.000-06:00

summertime brings birthday time for our clan of 2!
me and the mr. will each turn one year older this summer.
i went first and celebrated 24 years of life a couple weekends back.

highlights include:

01. coming home from work to find the mr. home early and my fav Texas sheet cake baked and frosted sitting on the kitchen counter. he lit 24 candles and sang the best "happy birthday" tune I've heard.

02. packing our tent and sleeping bags and driving up the windy mountain roads to join the ward for a campout. it wasn't my initial thought for a great way to celebrate my birthday, but it turned out to be a super fun adventure.

we roasted goodies over the fire and laughed about silly things, and after a night under the stars we woke up to the crisp, cool air of the rockies and the sound of the birds singing. we started our day with a hike to some gushing falls and then drove back to the city where i appreciated a shower and then the couch/world cup.

03. fondue-ing at the melting pot with friends. the mr. and i were first timers and we decided we could be many timers. mmm! the banana's foster concoction with pound cake rated A+.

thank you everyone who celebrated with me and made me feel special!

dads are the best

2010-06-22T17:11:00.002-06:00

I have a pretty cool dad who loves me and looks out for me. I'm not sure what's being said in the picture above taken on our wedding day, but I know it was a special day for my dad to hand me off to Jared.

Dad is always up for an adventure, and he can make a boring event fun. I remember the time in high school dad drove me, Skyler and Landon to Denver to see pearl jam and sit in the hot pots. what dad does that! and the times dad let me drive at way too young of an age as we both went to check on the car wash and eat a dq blizzard.

Dad had my back and called me nearly everyday I was away in Italy, always to make sure I was safe and to comfort me when the thick fog set in for weeks at a time, literally. Dad and I share our passions for Italy, Neil Young, road trips, and diet coke.

I can't help but be excited to see Jared build this same special bond with our girls one day. I have a feeling they will learn how to play basketball from their dad and ski with him in the winter months. he will toughen them up on the outside, but really he's a total softy and will be a great listener one day.

one day.

a trip like old times

2010-06-20T14:00:00.005-06:00

growing up there was always one summer vacation i anticipated more than others. it was the vacation where we all piled in the truck and waited for dad (who runs late) to just "finish one more thing" before we drove south with the green boat in tow. a few stops and a couple hundred miles later we arrived in page, az, a little town of navajo residents and hotels on every corner, most of which i've stayed a night or two. years ago mom preferred getting groceries at Safeway, but now there is a new fancy Walmart with everything boaters need for a week. as i helped mom shop, dad and the boys worked on the boat. then we were back in the truck driving to the marina to start a week of sun tanning, skiing and games.

many of these trips were with another family I got to know well. we camped on their houseboat BlueMooners, we launched loaded water balloons at nearby campers and we laughed together a lot.

our two families are grown now. some of us "kids" are married and some even have kids or their own. even though our families have changed lots, it felt like the same old crew on our trip over fathers day. and I loved every minute of it!

highlights of the trip:
rainbow bridge
Dad & Eydie tubing
Mom wakeboarding
strombollis restaurant
using up an old fire extinguisher

the easy way to budget

2010-06-17T21:29:00.005-06:00

i occasionally get the question of who pays the bills and tracks the finances in your marriage? it's interesting being a numbers sort of gal married to a numbers sort of guy.

before married life i always assumed it would be my role. i like knowing what money comes in and goes out, and i am totally the girl who knows what the going rate is on cd's, mortgages and stocks. and yes, i did sign up for a credit card at age 16 in order to build my credit.

so then i met my numbers savvy guy, and i still kind of thought i would play the same role. you see, jared is very understanding, patient and i guess you could say more laid back than me. if i want to drive something, then he totally supports it and joins me for the ride.

now nearing 3 years of marriage, i have to say jared drives a lot of our bills, finances

and oh the budget.

he's always looking for ways to better track what we're spending and making. he asks his co-workers and friends how they budget to see if we could do something better. he's really been trying to find a simple method to track everything from daily expenses to the mortgage.

we've tried the excel spreadsheet, we've tried our bank's online software, we've tried being irresponsbile - none of it captures the full picture and it's painful to keep up to date.

here is where i present...

mint.com

it's the perfect way to connect all of your accounts into one central location where you can set budgets and goals. and the best part? it's totally free!

if you're looking for an easy way to track what's yours...

it won't dissapoint.

talking in style

2010-06-07T13:35:00.004-06:00

steve job's latest masterpiece, the iphone 4.
{start from the bottom and go up}

ahhh! i want it so bad.

a black tie event

2010-06-04T15:00:00.003-06:00

six months out of the year my job can be gruesome and exhausting and require long hours and can be easy to complain about. (like i just did.) but the other six months of the year can be delightful and energizing with plenty of vacations and downtime. we're in a stretch of those good months now.

i got a double holiday this last weekend, so 4 days to spend sleeping in without my computer in tow. then i got back to work on tuesday to spend the rest of the week... one afternoon at the zoo, a half day at the partner's country club, and one evening at a black tie event.

the black tie event is one of the most impressive and motivating evenings i've experienced. ernst & young sponsored the program--"entrepreneur of the year"--to recognize the bright minds behind successful local businesses. it was held at the salt palace and started as a cocktail hour, and then turned into dinner and an awards ceremony with a structure like the grammy awards (take me seriously here) only slc business style. bruce lindsay mc'd the event, and as winners from each of the categories were announced they walked up to the stage to receive a trophy and give a quick hoorah about the company and their background. so fascinating!

todd pedersen from apx alarm won in a category, and told about being one of 10 kids growing up and being sent to a boy's school. he said that nobody thought he would live to 18. another winner talked about convincing her parent's to mortgage their home so she could get capital to start her business. i sat in fascination.

it's over already?

2010-06-02T22:30:00.003-06:00

i married into a perty darn cute family. lishes came to salt lake to visit for a few days before memorial day weekend, and then we all drove to vegas baby for some sunshine and summertime for the long weekend. painted toes, on a towel, next to a pool with great food and fun people is how it went. and i loved it!

jaime is a handy chef and was up for baking some oreo cupcakes i've been wanting to try. a few weeks ago my mom took haley and i to a cupcake baking class at thanksgiving point taught by sara voortmeyer. jaime and i used her recipe and they were a total hit.

we golfed at an executive course (par 3 course, or course that is so much shorter/easier/funner than the real deal) in salt lake with everyone friday while brad worked. we played a scramble which made it so fun, and my team even used a few of my hits. oh, and the women's clubs we rented were adorable and baby blue. this could be the beginning of jared converting me to yet another sport. it's starting to rub off on me. i think it's fun to hit the ball, and swing with the driver and irons. eh - we'll see.

vegas was really wonderful. the highlight may have been seeing my niece alexa in her 8-months or so of life. unfortunately i somehow have no pictures of her. fail. i did break from laying out long enough to catch the boy's in a game of surface ball.

and just like that - it's already over. i hope your memorial day weekend was relaxing and filled with family and friends! now back to work until the next holiday...

american art

2010-05-02T14:30:00.004-06:00

there is a must see exhibit at the smithsonian's american art museum right now (in dc). they've collected a group of lists, to-dos, illustrated inventories, etc. and placed them together in one awesome room.

anyone know where i can find a print of adolf ferdinand konrad's "packing list"? painted in the 1960's, it's a list of items adolf planned to pack for a trip to rome and egypt. can you imagine whipping this up as a reminder of what to bring on a vacation!?!

camera... check
paint brushes... check
sunglasses... check
clothes, jacket, books, journal... check!

post 4-15 recovery: washington, dc

2010-04-28T21:44:00.011-06:00

a few things:

self-timer sucks, and it sucks even more when people are watching you use self-timer
capitol hill neighborhoods are charming
"cute" shoes just aren't feasible in the city (ask my two pinky toes)
our nation's history makes me proud to be an american
i was the designated navigator of the trip,
and the mr. was the history expert slash bag carrier
here's how we did:

this was jared's first trip to dc, and i forgot so much of what i saw when i visited in high school that we were like two newbies. we landed at washington-reagan, dropped off luggage at the hotel and we're tourists walking around the national mall in no time! i loved it. jared was in total awe at the george washington monument (the tall white marbled square). as we walked up to it, he explained the symbolic connection to the masons and told me it was the tallest building in dc. seriously though, he makes a great tour guide! something about reading old man history books and listening to biographies on tape does that to you?

then we found the white house and that was really fun. it's one of those landmarks you've seen pictures of your whole life and to be standing in front of it is surreal. jared went crazy with the pics, zooming in and out and focusing on every object in the picture.

arlington cemetary was eye-opening and sad. it makes me grateful to the masses of people who are buried there and died fighting for our freedom, and grateful the mr. lives with me and isn't off at war. the sheer amount of graves in every direction of the big cemetary is almost hard to fathom. just graves everywhere.

finding the air & space museum was like discovering the twisty slide on the play set. it was amazing! airplanes, planets, stars, space and all that jazz was cool in fifth grade and it's still the same cool these days. in fact maybe more. we saw a replica of the space station, the wright brothers plane, world war I fighter planes, ah! it was right on.

more to come later. it's late and even the mr. is ready for bed.

you say who?

2010-04-24T08:22:00.010-06:00

yesterday i was at a town hall meeting for my company. our salt lake city office used to be a part of the pacific northwest sub-area, and after some restructuring we're now a part of the west sub-area. it doesn't change much other than my boss's boss changes and other important people have taken on new rolls. the purpose of the meeting was to meet these new important people and chat about the restructuring. not exciting.

i continue my story at the town hall meeting... i'm sitting at a table enjoying lunch with my co-workers plus an important energetic dude, my boss's new boss, who was also at the table mingling with us. this guy has a zest for life like none other. he's cracking jokes and telling stories of his crazy kid and we're laughing and all is well.

then somehow my co-worker starts talking about how i'm a transplant from seattle because i interned there and then started full time in slc, ya-dee-dah we've all heard the story. i don't consider myself a transplant so i speak up jokingly to defend myself, and my boss's boss interrupts me with, "oh my gosh. you speak just like the ex-governor of alaska!"

{gasp!}

sarah palin? really? because i've heard that 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 times before but can't come to terms with it.

so it is.

tina fey hit the hockey mom maverick right on! i'm going to assume it's just the tone and sound of our voices that are similar. i can't possibly sound that unintelligent.

up and functioning again

2010-04-21T07:00:00.009-06:00

i've been on a sort of hiatus from life, blogging included. i'm learning that's what happens this time of year for a tax accountant, and i'm just now surfacing from the exhausting cave that is busy season.

i filed over 75 returns in a few months time for entities from partnerships to non-profits to llc's and corporations. it's all becoming my world, and i'm getting more comfortable with my work. i helped some family and friends file returns this year, and i plan to do more on my own next year. it's a bit of fresh air to be able to do simple returns start to finish in a couple hours time and to lend a hand to those i know.

aside from me having no life and my little blog being deserted and the house decor coming to a hault and the lack of exercise for my body that's been living on fast food and the house getting dirty and me not ever seeing my accountant husband, etc.... there is a strange satisfaction in accomplishing so much work this time of year. yea plenty of days were really long and yes i dreamed of wearing comfy sweats snuggled with the mr. on our couch catching up with each other while watching our favorite shows. but there were plenty of days and weeks that i wondered how the time had slipped from between my fingers so quickly. days where i wondered what i did between the time i pulled out of the garage at sunrise to the time i drove around our street corner that night to reopen the garage and slip my car in. i'm a total sucker for a good productive day, and this time of year is full of them.

so yea, in a nut shell i survived busy season and felt an extreme sense of accomplishment in doing so. now i'm onto better things like getting my life back and working on a little something called "balance."

the house is half-way clean. on saturday the mr. and i visited not 1 but 3 grocery stores to fully stock our barren kitchen and pantry. the trunk of the car was completely filled and the back seat served as the grocery overflow. is it strange that we regularly shop 3 stores? harmons for fresh produce, meat and bread. costco for cheese, bagels, juice, and let's be honest, whatever other extra items end up in my cart. and wal-mart for everything else. what a pain!

i ordered some fancy shoes from piperlime to dress up and go on a date with the mr. they are gems and let it be known they were on sale.

i also got my hair cut and painted my toes an orangey spring color.

and now i write to you as i travel home from a vacation to our nation's capital the district of columbia. a few days time with the mr. away from alarm clocks and work has been much enjoyed. you could say i feel like a new lady!

{last night walking around the national mall.}

more to come from me and the mr. here in our nest as we get some balance back in our routine.

happy easters

2010-04-02T07:21:00.002-06:00

i have family in town,
the weekend off,
steaks to barbeque,
and not much else planned.

how lovely is this easter card?

spring cleaning

2010-03-26T08:14:00.003-06:00

forget the fact that it's snowing today. my mind is set on spring, and part of spring is getting rid of the dust that's collected through the winter and brightening things up. on saturday the mr. kindly dusted every square inch of shutter in our home. they are sparkly clean, and i couldn't be happier about it!

this week i focused on brightening up the blog. i'm very pleased with the new arrangement, and of course i must mention jenna at qa design who so kindly helped me. she is a photoshop whiz!

next week and the weeks after, my attention turns to the dreaded the garage, the cars, and the clutter in my spare bedroom.

happy spring!

containers & letters

2010-03-20T08:20:00.002-06:00

work is absolutely so busy right now and consumes just about everything i do. i think the hardest thing about "busy season" is that i don't have any balance in my routine, i.e. no exercise, little time for cleaning/laundry, and minimal dates with the mr. it's just not a lot of fun.

when life is busy, i tend to make list after list of "to-do's" for when there is time. i'm almost through busy season and my lists get longer and longer. one thing i want to focus on this year is food storage. we've moved into a place of our own and it's time we start stocking up just in case.

i had a few hours the other day and the motivation to cross off something on the list. i went to industrial container and supply co. in salt lake and found some great resealable containers. my crafty friend michelle printed the labels for me and then it was just a matter of arranging and pressing.

my whole idea of food storage is that we should have it and be able to incorporate it into what we're already eating. that way we can cycle through the food, hopefully not letting it go bad. my four containers have a new home in the pantry.

three faves

2010-03-08T07:30:00.003-07:00

do you ever catch yourself telling your husband/friend/co-worker about someone's blog post? and then you get asked who's blog is that. and then usually i have to go into a roundabout explanation about who's blog i've been reading and why. it's great explaining to others that i am a blog stalker.

my blogging hasn't been too hot lately--not a lot of posts, not a lot of life-altering events and not a lot of anything really. it's tax season peeps.
but... you must know that my google reader is working like crazy to keep me up to speed on my favs. i think i make a better reader than writer. it's just sooo much easier.

these are the blogs that make me extra giddy inside when i see a new post.

ruffling feathers, by emily

the fashionista puts all styles of wardrobes together in a way that i could only dream of, she's also a remodel genius & guest blogs at another fave, 21st & ivy. we go back to elementary years at a private school in provo. here's what she just dreamed up for her soon-to-be baby boy:

here is a shoot she styled:

yes, her style is amazing.

SNAPSHOTS {of a good life}, by karen russell

i dream of the day when my photographs will resemble a piece of art more than a 4X6 snapped thoughtlessly. this woman has figured it out! her photos are absolutely stunning, each and everyone one of them, and she's not a professional photographer. although she should be.

the best part about her blog is that she loves to give advice to us amateurs out there. if you're getting into the slr business, she's got all sorts of info for you. like this post or these posts.

her photos are like candy to my eyes.

decor8

and another fave, this one perhaps more popular than the others. i just pulled some favs that i have starred in google reader. how stunning are these rooms?

and a completely different style that i adore just the same:

this is what i've been up to. go take a peak. happy monday!

all done

2010-02-27T07:11:00.006-07:00

celebrations were in store last night when the mr. and i discovered we had both passed all four sections of the cpa exam. we were waiting on my last score, and i checked online again last night for the 6,839th time this week to see that i passed my last section. i immediately threw my hands in the hair and started shouting for joy.

those tests are a lot of work, and studying for tests after graduating is the most insane idea ever. any amount of concentration/study skill i ever had went straight out the window on graudation day, and it was all too soon to go searching for it.

there should be two cpa's in the house in just a few months. yipee! (and nerd alert.)